Addiction
by halfdemon-kai
Summary: Dark Eco could do so many strange things to a person; killing them was the highest possibility. What it had done to me… I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the feeling of power; of superiority. 'I felt alive... but it was killing me.'
1. chapter 1

_This story takes place in between Jak2 and Jak3 so if some things don't seem right that's why. _

_Also! I am currently in the process of rewriting chapters. This will probably take some time and I wanted to give a warning as to why the writing style might seem different in later chapters._

_Thank you for your time, _

_please enjoy!_

**Addiction **

_**Chapter 1**_

I sat in place panting as I stared down at my hands. It had taken control again. There was no fighting it anymore. The dark eco… it was addicting. There would never be another who would understand this feeling; not even Daxter. That knowledge made me somewhat grateful that he hadn't been here. When the dark eco took over it was as if a surge of power was pulsing through the body. The possibilities were endless. I remember hating Baron Praxis for doing this to me. Now… the only thing about it that I hated was that I had to fight against myself.

The dark eco could do so many things to a person; killing them being of the highest probability. What it had done to me though, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the feeling of power – the superiority – and when the dark eco desired to take control I would let it.

"I really am a dark eco freak…" I said lowly, resting my face in my palms.

It had happened so suddenly. As I had left to go to the Pumping Station I had heard about some Metal Heads and thought it would be best to make sure everything had been alright. It hadn't been. Once I had arrived there had to be at least fifteen of them standing there waiting. It only took one of them to attack for the dark eco to start to transform me. I let it willingly. I had no reason to fight it if there was no one here that could be put into danger because of it.

As I fought I knew that using Dark Bomb would revert me back to my normal self so I fought with just my claws. I wanted to stay that way for as long as possible; almost wishing that the transformation could be permanent.

'_I can't… It's not right…'_

I knew that becoming this creature wasn't right. It wasn't right to enjoy the flow and the feeling of the dark eco; to crave it as I did. At the same time though, it wasn't fair that I had to fight against myself and my own desires.

As each of the Metal Heads fell, I absorbed their dark eco; went to it willingly. To feel it become absorbed within me was almost like a sense of relief. It was pleasurable. I hadn't wanted to change back to normal, but I had done it all the same. Lifting my head, I continued to stare down at my hands.

'_In the beginning this had all seemed to simple,' _I thought as my brows pushed together,_ 'When Daxter and I had found that dark eco in the ocean and Daxter became an ottsel we knew that it was bad. Dark eco was something evil.' _

I sighed and tiredly looked up at the sky. Of course the dark eco was bad and that was why we had been told to never touch it.

"It's a part of me now," I murmured, closing my dark blue orbs.

I couldn't deny this part of me and I hated fighting against it.

* * *

Returning to the Naughty Ottsel, I walked in on Daxter sitting on the counter with a full glass. I inwardly laughed and shook my head. Of course he would be drinking. It reminded me of a time when Daxter had rummaged through all of Krew's alcohol and drank to the point of falling over.

"You look like a mess Jak," the ottsel stated, staring at me intently, "What the heck happened out there?"

"Just a bunch of Metal Heads," I said, shrugging, "Nothing I couldn't handle."

I had been constantly pushing my problem away; trying to make it seem like there was nothing wrong. I didn't need anyone to worry about what was happening, especially Daxter or Keira. They were happy as they were without the weight of my problems.

"Don't worry about it Dax," I assured him, giving a small smile.

"If you say so…"

'_Daxter doesn't really notice, but I know that Keira is starting to.'_

My eyes narrowed with that thought. She didn't need to know. I could do this on my own.

"So how many of them were there Jak? Did you kick tail?" Daxter asked with a wide grin.

"Just a few," I explained, pulling up a stool, "They were just destroying things as usual."

Turning away Daxter laughed, obviously thinking how he could change the story to his liking.

'_Good ol' Dax.'_

I never minded it when Daxter changed the reality of the things that happened. It took the glory off of me. I wasn't a hero, no matter how much everyone wanted me to be.

"Are you listening Jak?" Daxter's voice breaking me out of thought.

"Oh, sorry Dax," I apologized.

"Never mind, you've been thinking too much lately! Stop thinking about Keira and wake up!"

"What were you saying?"

"I was wondering what I should get Tess. It's our anniversary soon and I have no idea what to get her…" he explained, looking back at me sheepishly.

"I couldn't tell you. I've never really been one for romance…"

'_Yeah, killing Metal Heads is more your style.'_

"Crap," the ottsel muttered, starting to pace the counter.

I watched him for a few moments before shaking my head. Sometimes I didn't understand what the little guy was thinking.

"Oh I know!" he said triumphantly, "I can ask Keira!"

"I don't know Dax, Keira and Tess are a little different," I said, an unsure expression on my face.

It was true. Keira liked cars and building technology. I didn't know what Tess liked.

"Stop kidding around and let's go ask her!" Daxter said excitedly as he ran and jumped onto my shoulder.

'_This should be interesting.' _

Hopping on the jet board, we made our way toward the garage. Daxter was mostly quiet which was surprising. He usually had something to say or discuss or story to tell.

'_He must be thinking really hard about what to get Tess. He's hardly ever this quiet.'_

I glanced around the surroundings and smirked when I found something to jump off of. Bending my knees, I prepared to push off the ground to get more air.

"Woo hoo!" I laughed as we got air; causing Daxter to jump.

"What'd you do that for?" the ottsel asked me with agitation.

"Aw come on Dax, you like hitting jumps," I said as I looked back at him, "Besides, why don't you just get her flowers?"

"You don't know the woman mind Jak," he stated with doubt in his tone, "When they think anniversary, they think _something special_. Not flowers."

"Whatever you say," I mused.

The things that Daxter did amused me. They usually made me laugh, if only a little. I knew that there were times where I thought that he was a little weird – sometimes crazy – but that was what made Daxter who he was. He was a little crazy and in some way we all were. Keira was crazy about cars and racing. The old man was just crazy. I was addicted to dark eco. Daxter just had moments where he freaked out about the danger and Metal Heads. It was a relaxing thought that we were all the same in some way.

We had arrived at the garage sooner that I thought we would. There had been less people out on the streets this morning than there usually had been. I could hear the drill going and I had to assume that she was working on something worth looking at. It usually was.

"Hey Keira," I greeted, pushing the cloth out of the way as we walked in.

I was right. She was working on something worth looking at.

"Hey Jak," she greeted with a smile as she put down her drill, "Hey Daxter."

"Keira," Daxter cried as he jumped off my shoulder and onto her project, "You're a girl."

"Yeah, thanks for noticing Dax," she said sarcastically, "Took you long enough."

"Let me finish!" he protested, throwing his arms into the air, "It's mine and Tess' anniversary soon and I don't know what to get her… Can you help me?"

I laughed inwardly at his plea. It was amusing to see him beg. It almost made him look like a real animal other than in appearance.

My blue orbs caught Keira laugh and shake her head as well.

"Why don't you just get her some flowers instead of something complicated?" she asked with a raised brow.

Daxter's jaw dropped at her words. Was it really hard to believe that sometimes people could use some flowers; especially in a place such as Haven city?

"Why do you two think that she would only like some flowers?" the ottsel questioned with disbelief.

"Because it's just an anniversary," both Keira and I stated at the same time.

I watched as Daxter scowled and crossed his arms, apparently hitting a road block in his planning.

"Wooing a girl with flowers is a natural think Daxter," Keira assured him with a small smile, "Almost every guy does it."

'_I guess even Keira enjoys the thought of flowers every once in a while,' _I thought with amusement, _'If only things were truly that simple. If there was nothing but purity and flowers and no dark eco… then maybe things would be better for everyone.' _

I walked forward and my eyes glanced over Keira's new project. Whatever she was building, it looked like it would ride and fast.

"So what have you guys been up to lately?" she questioned.

We hadn't been around often and I knew that I was trying to tell myself that I was protecting her this way; that the distance between the two of us would be safer.

"Nothing much, just kicking Metal Head butt!" Daxter said proudly as he punched and kicked the air.

Keira laughed at his response, "Is that all you two ever do?"

"Seems that way," I murmured lowly.

"You guys never seem to do anything for yourselves anymore," she continued, "Oh I know! Why don't we all go for a picnic at the forest in a few days?"

"...A picnic? What about joyriding or having a day at the beach?" Daxter asked with some excitement, his hands pretending to drive.

"For one we don't have a beach to swim at," Keira said plainly, "And you two always go joyriding throughout the city. Why not do something different for a change?"

My expression became solemn at the mention of a picnic. A picnic was a peaceful thing and it was the same as that forest. Peaceful didn't seem like something someone like me should have.

"A picnic is peaceful Dax," I stated, crossing my arms.

'_I would like to go on a picnic… just for the chance to be fully at peace instead of having to fight against myself…' _I wanted to flinch at the thought. I was tired of fighting against it. I desired to become it. It was wrong in many ways but I couldn't stop myself from wanting it. My gaze met with Keira's and she was still smiling pleasantly.

'_I wonder if she's come to terms on how she feels about what I become...'_

"What do you think Jak?" she asked; her eyes full of excitement.

"I think it would be a good idea," I nodded in agreement.

"Alright then it's settled," she agreed, "In a few days I'll meet you guys up by the old tree and I'll bring my father. We'll have fun like we used to."

I couldn't remember the last time that I had been on a picnic. It had either been a long time or it had never happened. Nothing seemed pure anymore. Even my memories felt tainted.

'_Dark eco…' _I thought as my gaze fell to the floor.

"Hey Keira, the Naughty Ottsel is closed for the day," Daxter stated, his fingers pushing together, "Would it be alright if I stayed and watched you work?"

"Yeah sure, go right ahead," she mused as she grabbed her wrench, "How would you like to help me out Daxter?"

"Would I!" the ottsel cried as he took the wrench from her.

A small smile made its way to my face as I watched the two of them work. I couldn't wait to see Daxter do something and hurt himself as he usually did.

'_I think I'll take a nap,'_ I thought as I turned and jumped onto a stack of metal crates, _'It's nice to lie down once in a while.'_

As I closed my eyes and started to become comfortable, I felt it. I could feel the pulsing of the dark eco within me.

'_Damn it… not here…' _I thought with furrowed brows.

It wanted to come again; to take control. Why was it happening so soon? I rolled onto my side and clutched at my chest. Keira and Daxter didn't need to see what might happen. I could feel myself slipping in and out of the change. I winced as my claws began to grow and my teeth were clenching tightly.

'_No! Not here!'_ I told myself, gripping tighter onto my shirt.

"Hey Jak buddy, you okay?" Daxter wondered; his tone concerned.

Damn it, they were watching.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine Dax," I replied through gritted teeth.

"Are you sure?" Keira's voice cut in.

I inwardly cursed at myself. The last thing I needed was for her to see me change. I knew that she hated this part of me; that I was a monster made of dark eco.

'_I need an excuse to leave. I can't let them see this happen.'_

A noise came from my pocket and the floating speaker appeared before be.

"_Jak this is no time for lying down," _Torn's voice said through the speaker, _"There's a bunch of Metal Heads trying to make their way into the city. The Underground isn't sure on what they're looking for, so you better get out there and get busy."_

"I'm all over it," I grunted as I sat up unsteadily.

Wincing, I jumped down and made my way for the door.

"Where are you going Jak?" Daxter wondered with some panic.

'_He's probably just worried that he'll have to come with me…'_

"Don't worry about it Dax," I tried to assure him, "I'll be back later so stay here and help Keira with her racer."

I made my way out into the alleyway and into the streets of Haven city. I made my way through the crowds of people, pushing them to the side to get them to move. I was still fighting against myself; trying to stay in control. It needed to be kept away from the people.

'_Please just wait until I get somewhere out of sight,' _I nearly begged myself, _'I have no intention of hurting innocent people.' _

"Hey, watch it!" one man hissed as I pushed him to the side.

"Keep it to your self," I said coldly, making my way through the crowd.

The speaker floated up beside me as I tried to run as quickly as I could in my state.

"_Jak, the Metal Heads are in the forest. You have to stop them and quick!" _Samos urged from the other side, _"Please be careful Jak. Ever since the Baron and Kor were killed both you and the Metal Heads have been acting strangely. I think it's from all the dark eco lying around." _

At the mention of dark eco there was another surge the pulsed through me and the inner struggle started anew. I knew that I would lose and soon. It was because I needed the change; I needed the dark eco.

"_Dark eco freak," _Erol's voice came to mind.

I winced and my brows furrowed at the memory of his voice. Even though he was dead there were still things about him that haunted my mind. I knew what I felt wasn't fear. It was the lingering sense of his torturing when I had been the Baron's prisoner that stung within me. Praxis was right. I should have been dead with all the dark eco that had been pumped into my veins.

"Damn it," I hissed, clutching at my head.

'_Can't… do it anymore…' _

My skin paled as black claws pushed through my fingers.

'_I thought the Oracle was supposed to help me control it. I don't understand why I can't.'_

My light hair turned wild as I gave into my addiction and let it fully take its control; blue orbs darkening into pools of darkness. I let myself go and lost myself within the dark.

* * *

I lay there with my eyes closed on the grass; panting tiredly. From the moment I had changed everything had become a blur. I remembered the people's screams and a brief moment of fighting against the Metal Heads… but how had I made it to the forest?

"I don't… understand…" I murmured, my brows pushing together.

Everything was a mess within my head. I knew that everything that had happened was there, but I couldn't keep track of it. It was getting worse. The longer that I stayed in that form, the more I didn't seem to be aware of.

'_What did Samos mean when he said that both the Metal Heads and I had been acting strangely? I know that I've been keeping to myself lately… but is that the only thing that's changed?' _

As I looked back, everything that had happened since I had defeated the Baron and Kor was all just a blur. The changes had started to happen more frequently and I wasn't afraid of losing myself to it. I wanted to be that dark creature. I enjoyed the feeling of it greatly. The power and the improbable capabilities were amazing to me… but were they the only things that the dark eco had been changing? Was there more?

A cool breeze washed over my face from the closed area of the forest. It was cool and gentle.

'_I think it's night already,' _I thought tiredly, not opening my eyes, _'What had I done besides destroy the Metal Heads?'_

Lying as I was on the damp grass was peaceful. For the first time in a long time I almost felt normal.

"Normal doesn't exist here," I murmured to myself, slowly opening my eyes.

I could feel something landing on me from the sky; falling lightly and it was soft. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could see the small pieces falling from the trees and following the breeze over me. I pushed myself up with curiosity and I could feel them shaking from the strain of my own weight.

"I did something, didn't I?" I questioned, my brows furrowing.

I wasn't pleased with how blurred together the whole thing was. I hated how vivid my memories of my time spent in the Baron's prison were. The memories and feeling of being tortured were still as clear as though they had happened yesterday. Yet something that had just happened less than an hour ago I couldn't recall at all. This change… what was it doing to me?

As the sky started to brighten with the rising sun, I could see what was falling more clearly. Both of my arms gave out and I was forced to lie back down and stare up at the sky.

'_Flowers,' _I smiled at the irony, _'Daxter should give flowers to Tess… and I should be shut away from everyone else…' _

I watched the flower petals fall and float through the breeze. They were a peaceful sight and were something that a dark creature like me shouldn't deserve to witness.

"...What should I do?"

_**End of Chapter**_


	2. Picnic

Hey everyone! I decided that since I got this chapter finished I was going to post it. :3 It took me a little while to find some time to start typing up, but I did it. :D I really like this fanfic, and I think I'm pretty sure I know where it's going. Lol. Which I know is a good thing. :D So thank you all for your wonderful reviews and for reading it period. Lol. It really makes me happy that for a dying fandom I'm doing an okay job on my first Jak and Daxter fic. :D :3 Thanks again and please enjoy. :3

**Picnic**

As the sun fully rose to the sky, I finally had enough energy to move. Getting to my feet, my dark blue eyes caught sight of something that hadn't been there before.

"You fool…" I murmured to myself, looking at a tree's trunk.

A little ways away, there was a fair sized tree with a thick trunk. On the bark and into the wood… were four large, thin claw marks and a smaller one on one side. _'That's not something a Metal Head could do…' _I thought rather solemnly. That mark… was mine from my own claw. Yes, it was only a tree… but that tree could have been a person instead.

"If Samos sees this…" I murmured, closing my eyes and hanging my head slightly, "He won't be a very happy Sage."

There was nothing I could do, and I sighed because of it. The only thing I could really so was leave and not say anything. Hopefully the Metal Heads would be to blame. Opening my eyes, I took one last look at the damage before pulling out the jet board and going to leave.

'_I'm losing control… I thought I had it, but this addiction is hard to resist…' _Things that had once been bright were now tainted. Pure memories were dark… and good things always seemed to turn bad.

"I'm starting to wish I could stop this," I whispered to myself as I placed my palm in my hand.

At this point and time… did I have the right to turn back? I assumed that I didn't. Something like me surely didn't deserve to try to be normal again.

Going up the rocky hill, I made it to the platform that would take me back to the warp gate. _'I wonder what Keira would do if she found out about me doing this willingly… Would she hate me? Would she be scared?' _I found myself thinking as I rode the platform up to the higher cliff edge. In those few moments I always found something to think about, even when Daxter was with me.

"You deserve to be alone," I whispered to myself, closing my eyes in thought.

Everyone else may have said otherwise, but that was what I believed. As the platform made it to the higher cliff's ridge, I got off before going towards the warp gate. _'What is there for me to do?' _I wondered before jumping through to the other side. I went out the large doors and back into Haven City.

Haven City was mostly the same; except for the Crimson Guard. They were no longer red, but were blue and almost human. They wouldn't attack you unless you attacked them. The Crimson Guard would attack you if you just tapped their shoulder and you weren't their superior. Now they were actually there to protect civilians. Protection was what mattered… not killing. Even when I was still me… I could feel that darkness clutching at my heart. I could feel the hatred for things that had never been present before. Hatred wasn't supposed to matter.

My blue eyes looked out over the small area from the top of the ramp. There were a lot of people walking around and talking. Many of them seemed to smile again since the Baron was no longer in charge. Haven City was more like a city again, and not a prison like it had been.

"No," I murmured to myself as I started to walk down, "You know what prison is."

I could assure many people that this was no prison… but I guess that not too many people had tried to break out of what Baron Praxis had called a city.

As I reached the ground and reached to pull out the jet board, the floating speaker came out of my pocket.

"_There you are Jak!" _Daxter's voice called through the other side, _"Where the heck have you been?"_

"_Yeah!" _came Keira's voice afterwards, _"We waited here all night and you never came back!" _

No… they shouldn't have worried about me. I was fine… at least as fine as I **could** be.

"_Anyway," Keira's voice continued, "Hurry up and get back here. Dad says that he had something important to tell you." _

The floating speaker disappeared and I sighed. Did the 'hero' ever get a break for anything? Was there ever any resting time? I wished that there was more; that the Metal Heads would stop attacking the city when Kor was ultimately dead. There was no reason for it all now…

'_So Keira wants me to go back to the garage… I wonder what Samos is thinking about now…' _The thought made me shake my head as I pulled out the jet board and jumped onto it. It was interesting to watch some of the people run away. They were still scared of so many things… but they had a good reason to be afraid of me. That was one of the things that I hated about my addiction; no one would accept it as me. The only one who seemed to be used to it was Daxter. I assumed that it was only because he was with me ninety-five percent of the time. At least he accepted it…

As I went, thought of being prisoner to the Baron came back vividly in my mind. I could remember clearly the first time I had been strapped and chained to the chair… the amount of pain my body and mind were in…

_**3 years ago… **_

I opened my eyes and saw that I was in an unfamiliar place. There was a dark ceiling and… what looked to be some kind of machine. _'Where am I?'_ I wondered, trying to move my arms. They were chained at my sides and my feet were chained as well. Where was I?

"Oh, so you're finally awake," an unfamiliar male's voice stated with what sounded like amusement.

I lifted my head and I could only see the dark outline of a person standing there. Their hair seemed to be wild and a red colour. _'What… What is this place?' _Fear was written on my face; just as it was when we had been found in this strange place. I didn't know what to do… what **was** there for me to do?

"I could have done this while you were unconscious…" the strange man said as he walked around the chair to the side, "but it just wouldn't be as much fun then, now would it?"

His face was clear to my sight now. I could see the markings on his face and his cold, amused eyes. Putting my head down, I began to struggle against the locks that imprisoned me.

"It's no use," the man stated, smirking slightly, "They are locked there, so there is no escaping unless you are released."

'_No... This can't happen this way… What about Daxter? Who's going to look after him now?' _I thought, furrowing my eyebrows slightly. _'What about Keira?'_

What was going to happen at this point?

"The Baron says that you will be different from the others," the man said as he went to a machine that was to my side, "But we will see if that's really true."

His hand hit a button and my blue eyes watched as something moved to be right above me. I continued to struggle as I closed my eyes. _'I can't get away…' _

Something struck my body, and I could feel the chock of it as it flowed into my body; surrounding me. I let out a cry of pain as it continued. My back arched towards the machine as I struggled against the feeling… against the dark feeling creeping up on me. _'What are they doing? What is this stuff? Is it… is it Dark Eco?' _

I began to struggle against myself, fighting the dark feeling with full force. I didn't like feeling this way. I didn't want to be controlled by something that wasn't me. I wouldn't **be** me.

"We'll see just how long you last," I could hear the man's voice through all the darkness and pain.

'_Why does it have to be this way? Why?' _

Another shock went through me and it felt like the battle started anew. How was there a point to this? I couldn't understand their intentions at all. This Baron… What was he hoping to accomplish by doing this to anyone?

When the pain stopped, I could still feel the dark power pulsing through my body. It drained all the energy that I had, and I was forced to continue the battle mentally. I couldn't stop panting.

"Dark Eco injection cycle complete, bio readings nominal and unchanged," a female robotic voice said as the machine moved away from me.

"That is strange," the man's voice pondered thoughtfully, "So you **are** different from the others… the Baron should be pleased."

I could head his footsteps going away from me and relaxed a little bit.

"You're be moved to your cell later."

'_So I'm a prisoner to someone…' _Resting my head back, I allowed myself to relax a little. I still didn't understand…

_**Present…**_

The garage wasn't too far away now. I could see the racing stadium and the steps from where I was. _'Not too much longer now… Soon I'll be getting another speech about something.' _I thought as I rolled my eyes with a small smile. Even I had to admit that not all of them were bad.

I used the jet board to grind up the bar before putting it away. As I started to walk, I saw something strange. _'What he…' _Ashelin was walking with a group of the blue Guard and Veger _'What are they doing?' _I had a brow cocked at the sight, and they were coming my way.

"Jak, we have to talk," Ashelin called to me.

"Why?" I questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

Had I done something wrong? Had my _other self_ done something wrong?

"Because you are a threat to the people around you, you Dark Eco freak," the long faced, stuck up Veger stated with an amused smirk.

My eyes narrowed slightly at his words. _You have no idea how right you are Veger… I'm not normal at all.' _

"I don't see how I'm a threat to the people **I** saved from the Metal Heads **and** the Baron," I stated darkly, glaring at Veger coldly.

"If you're such a hero then how come the Metal Heads are still attacking the city?" the brown haired man continued.

"At least I put effort into stopping the damn things," I growled, taking a step forward towards him, "Unlike you."

'_Don't get too angry Jak… you know that it just sets it off too…' _

"That's right, be violent you-"

"That's enough, both of you!" Ashelin yelled with agitation, "Jak there will be a council meeting about what is going on with the Metal Heads. If you know something, then tell me now."

My blue eyes looked hatefully at Veger before coldly at Ashelin.

"I don't know anything about that Metal Head attacks. None of us do," I stated before turning to walk away, "Kor is dead, so maybe they found someone else's orders to follow."

I left with those words. If there had been any more shouting then Veger would be dead and he would have been proven right. I already knew that I was a danger to the people around me… but they didn't.

As I walked into the garage, Samos had that look on his face like it was the end of the world again. _'That's always the case…' _

"Jak, the Metal Head attacks are becoming more frequent and are coming from all over the place," the old sage started seriously, "but we think that they're trying to attack mainly the palace."

"…the palace?" I questioned with a cocked brow.

"That's what I said!" Daxter exclaimed, popping up from behind Samos, "Of all the amazing places out there, they choose the palace?!"

I shook my head at Daxter even thought he was right. Of all things, why was the palace the most important? Was it because it was a symbol of power?

"Torn told me that Ashelin said that were might have been come left over Eco where the Baron used to trade it off," the old sage continued, trying to ignore Daxter's comment, "but we don't know for sure."

"Let me guess," I started with a slightly furrowed brow, "You want me to go down there and check, right?"

There was almost sarcasm in my voice. _'I must still be pissed off about Veger…' _

"Once you're down there, destroy all the Eco you find before you come back. There might still be Metal Heads lurking around there as well. You better take your guns and a lot of ammo," Samos finished before jumping off his stool.

"It'll be my pleasure," I stated, turning towards the door, "Come on Dax."

"Right behind you buddy."

* * *

It didn't take long for us to get to the palace. It was almost afternoon and Daxter held onto my sleeve tightly as he sat.

"You know, I'm really surprised that you didn't put up a fuss this time Dax," I laughed slightly.

"Are you kidding?" she asked with a slight laugh, "Why wouldn't I want to go into a place where there probably aren't any Metal Heads?"

"There probably are Dax," I told him with a small smile, "Hence why we brought the yellow gun."

Daxter's eyes widened slightly at his mistake and I felt him kick his feet slightly.

"Well… at least there won't be any Precursor crap," he stated nervously.

'_I'm surprised that he didn't try to make an excuse to leave. Normally he'd say that Metal Heads were too dangerous or that is he died, then he was going to haunt me.' _I laughed slightly and the thought. Good old Dax.

As we walked through the door, things on the inside were too quiet. There was usually some sort of machine making noise. Now… there was nothing. _'That's weird…'_ My blue eyes looked around curiously at the technical room. How were we going to get down there after that machine destroyed the way the very first time we had been in there?

"So did you get Tess her gift yet?" I asked with a slightly cocked brow.

"Yep, I picked her some nice flowers from the forest yesterday," the Ottsel started to explain, causing my eyes to widen slightly, "I looked for you but didn't see you anywhere. So I left before I got attacked by something."

Worry… That was what I didn't want to hear from him. Neither Daxter nor Keira needed to worry about something like me… I wasn't worth the time.

"I'm sure she'll like them Dax," I assured him with a slight nod.

We climbed through all the rubble and Daxter ran ahead because he was smaller. _'I don't need them to worry… One day I might change and not come back…' _My eyes were solemn at the thought.

It hadn't been like I had never pondered about the future. I thought about a lot of things when I was alone, just like anyone else did. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever fall in love… or if anything could ever happen between Keira and I. At least I understood her, unlike someone like Daxter.

Most of the time I wondered about my addiction… where that other part of me might take me some day. I wondered what it would be like… Would I just change and then forget about everything? Would I leave and never come back? Out of all the questions I could wonder about, one **always** came to mind: How many innocent people would get hurt because of me?

"Jak, watch out!" Daxter's voice broke me out of thought immediately.

As I looked ahead of me, I saw a Metal Head running straight for me. I shot it before it got really close and looked at Daxter with an apology written on my face.

"Sorry about that Dax," I apologized before I went to catch up to him.

"Jak!" his voice shouted again as he pointed behind me.

There was a sudden pulse through my body and there was nothing I could do before my addiction took over and everything went dark.

* * *

_**One year ago… **_

Dark Eco was being pumped into my body for the umpteenth time in two years. Erol was standing by my feet, watching as he always did with a sort of… amusement. The Baron was there as well, watching as he paced back and forth. He had been there since the experiment started, but I was so dazed by the surge of Dark Eco that I couldn't understand what they were talking about. It was nothing but incoherent babbling to me through all the pain.

"Dark Eco injection cycle complete. Bio reading nominal and unchanged," the computer stated as the Dark Eco stopped.

"Nothing," the Baron nearly growled, "I was informed that this one might be different!"

"He's surprisingly resistant to your… 'experiments' Baron Praxis," Erol stated after as watched the Baron with slight boredom.

The Baron continued to pace.

"I fear that the Dark Warrior program has failed."

"Argh! You should at least be dead with all the Dark Eco I've pumped into you!" Praxis hissed at me as he grabbed my hair and lifted my head.

I tried to open my eyes, but everything was blurry… I couldn't keep them open.

"What now? The Metal Head armies are pressing their attacks," Erol questioned as he stood over me and looked at the Baron, "Without a new weapon, my men cannot hold them off forever."

Again I tried to open my eyes, only to fail as Erol made his way around to the Baron.

"I will not be remembered as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures!" Baron Praxis growled again, moving towards the exit, "Move forward with the final plan! And finish off this _'thing'_ tonight."

"As you wish," Erol stated as the Baron left and he made his way back to me.

His hand grabbed my shirt and lifted me slightly off the table.

"I'll be back later," he mused rather darkly before leaving.

After they were gone, a voice came too.

"Ding, ding… third floor… Body chains, Roach food, Torture devices," the voice joked slightly before jumping onto my stomach, "Hey buddy, see any heroes around here?"

After a few seconds there was surprise.

"WHOA! What'd they do to you?"

No answer.

"Jak!" the voice whined, "It's me… Daxter!"

Lifting my head slightly, I opened my eyes and looked up. I wasn't sure if it was really Daxter. I only saw a lot of orange before dropping my head and closing my eyes.

"That's a fine hello!" the voice said sarcastically, "I've been crawling around in this place, risking my tail; literally…"

They stepped onto my stomach forcefully, sending pain through me.

"to save you. I've been looking for you for two years! say something! Just this once!" the voice pleaded, grabbing at my collar.

Such small hands…

I didn't know what happened… everything went dark and I was angry… I gave into the feeling without noticing.

"I'm gunna kill Praxis!" I growled as I lifted my head as the control slipped.

I wasn't being me anymore. There was anger… complete anger and hate…

A hand covered my mouth to keep me quiet.

"Shh. Right now we gotta get you outta here," the voice stated before jumping off me, "Just let me figure out how to open the security locks for your chair so…"

I lost total control and all I could feel was the Dark Eco as I broke out of the locks. My black eyes looked at my hands rather curiously. What had happened?

"Or ah… you could do it."

I got down and stood on the floor, unsteadily making my way towards the orange.

"Jak? Easy now. Easy buddy. It's, it's your old pal Daxter, remember?"

The small orange creature withdrew… and the name hit my sense like a realization. I faltered as the darkness faded slightly.

"Daxter?" I questioned, changing back.

I lost my balance and felt almost… drained of something.

"What the heck was that?! Shesh! Remind me not to piss you off!" Daxter shouted at me before walking towards the exit, "Some on tall dark and gruesome. We're outta here."

_**Present**_

There was a voice calling my name and everything was blurry as I tried to open my eyes.

"What… w-what happened?" I asked with confusion and a slightly cocked brow.

I was lying on the ground on my back; my heart pounding in my chest. _'Why did that happen? How… how much happened?' _

"Jak!" Keira's voice called.

My eyes widened and I sat up immediately. Where was I? why was Keira here?

"Are you okay?" she asked from right beside me.

'_Why am I back in the forest?' _I wondered, raising a hand to my forehead. Had the thing with Veger pushed too far? Did the control just break because of my distractions? Why did this happen?

"Yeah…" I murmured, gripping my forehead, "What happened?"

'_Where is Dax?' _My eyes widened again at the thought. I didn't know what would have happened if I had lost Daxter because of my… wrong addiction.

"Daxter said that you were attacked by Metal Heads and that… _thing_ came out and went on a rampage," she explained, looking to the side slightly, "He said that you destroyed every Metal Head you found before nearly blowing the place up. Then he said that you left to go somewhere and he couldn't stop you so he came to us."

I could feel my heart ache slightly at Keira's words. I attacked everything I could find and was only lucky that nothing was Daxter. _'I'm not safe to be around anymore… I better not go on that picnic…' _

"Are you okay Jak?" Keira asked again as I dropped my hand into my lap, "You've been acting kind of strange lately… with all your leaving and not coming back for days on end. I'm getting worried."

My eyes locked with hers at her words. Why did everything end up being as I didn't want it? Why did anyone have to worry at all? If they just stopping caring then I could have become my addiction… my other self. I enjoyed being that way, but I hated what it did to everyone else. I hated almost everything that it caused and around it all… Everyone hated it.

"Jak?"

"I'm fine Keira, don't waste your time worrying about it," I murmured, narrowing my eyes slightly.

'_Please stop being troubled by me…' _

"You came to the forest, Jak, and you don't even remember," she stated with a rather agitated tone, "You think that's alright?"

"I can't help it, Keira," I told her as I got to my feet, "It's not like I could ever control Dark Eco, let alone when it was coursing through my body."

Keira gave me a look that had slight surprise in it. Then she furrowed her brows as a question came to mind.

"If you could become normal again," she started almost cautiously, "Would you?"

'_Become normal again? Would that even be possible?' _

"You know that it's not possible," I stated.

"Just answer the question Jak," she stated again, putting a hand on her hip.

I paused for a moment as I thought about it. Would I give up my addiction to be normal person again? _'No… I wouldn't give it up if I had the choice to. I would join it; become it… but how would I ever tell Keira that?' _

"I don't know Keira," I told her almost coldly, "You don't understand."

Keira was about to retort something, but I cut her off.

"Never mind," I mumbled, "Call Samos and Daxter and Tess. Let's have this picnic now."

'_Yeah… before anything else goes way out of control…' _

"You think you can handle being along for a little while before rampaging away?" she asked sarcastically.

"I've been alone for two years in a torture chamber and prison," I ground out with slightly clenched fists, "Don't even ask if I can control myself when I had no one else around."

"Whatever," Keira blew me off, walking towards the platform to leave, "Sorry that I decided to care."

Then she left and I was alone. _'Yeah… I'm sorry that I will never be good enough for you.' _

**End of Chapter 2**

Hey again! So, how was it? Did you all like it? I did. Lol. :D It's longer than my first chapter which makes me happy. Lol. So yeah, I can see where this one is going, so hopefully it won't take me too long to get it done. Lol. Like it's taken me a long time to do some things that aren't even done yet. Lol. My bad.

Anyway, thanks again for reading, I appreciate it. So long as you all like it then I'm a happy author. :D Thanks again! Please R&R and I'll try to update soon. :D :3


	3. Questions

Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for the late update. I've been in and out of this because by the time I got home from my camp thing I posted chapter 2 then my boyfriend broke up with me, so I stopped playing Jak 2 for a while. I lost my momentum and for that I'm **really **sorry.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing and adding this to your favorites or alerts. It makes me really happy to know that my hard work is not going unnoticed. So thank you. :3 I'm sorry if this one isn't as good as it should be. The end might kind of… be weird. o.O

Enjoy anyway. :3 :D

**Questions**

I lay on my back and stared at the falling flower petals. _'Why does it feel like I don't belong here anymore? Why can't I just get things right for once?' _I wondered with slightly furrowed brows. I was fighting with Keira of all people… she was the **last** person I wanted to fight with. We had only fought once before and that had been before Erol had died.

"Erol," I murmured his name before closing my eyes.

I was still haunted by nightmares and pain… my addiction was my largest reminder. Everything changed at that point. There was so much hate and anger… and darkness. I became a creature; a darker creature.

"A monster," I muttered through a quiet whisper.

I couldn't fight the light anywhere anymore. I could only see it in other people and no longer in my memories. Everything had been tainted by the Dark Eco.

A gentle breeze blew over the tall grass; barely hitting my face with the coolness. I felt the flower petals hit my face before being carried on by the wind. _'Whose fault was this? Why couldn't it have not happened at all?'_ Was it my fault for being a parentless child? Was it Samos's for agreeing to take me to the past? Mine for being too gentle? Whose?

"The Baron," I muttered rather hatefully.

Through my closed eyes, the time that I had escaped the Baron's prison flashed through my mind… a simple sentence of the entire scene.

"_**Something's happening to me… Something he did… I can't… control it…" **_

Suddenly my eyes opened and I quickly rose to my feet. _'Something doesn't feel right…' _A pulse went through my body and my blue orbs my blue eyes widened.

"N-no," I hissed, grabbing at my tunic, "You…can't."

The inner battle began once again… and this time I **refused** to lose again. _'I can't here, not again…' _I started to stagger slightly with the inner battle. I winced rather painfully… such a thing was truly horrible. I knew that it was wrong, that **I** was wrong. There was something not right about me… about my Dark Eco addiction. _'I refuse!' _I growled at myself coldly.

I refused to lose.

* * *

Ashelin stood at the head of the table… the table upon which the council sat. Everyone was present, waiting for the conversing to begin.

"So we all know what this meeting's about?" she asked rather coldly, almost glaring at Veger.

Almost everyone nodded in agreement.

"It seems that our so called 'hero' is a danger to the people around him," the long faced man stated with a slight smirk, "Just yesterday his dark side was shown in the middle of Haven City."

"He saved Haven," Ashelin stated as she crossed her arms, "He put his **life** on the line to take down the Baron and defeat the Metal Heads!"

"Then why are the Metal Heads still getting into the city?" one council member questioned with furrowed brows, "People are being hurt out there."

"There are still parts of the city that aren't sealed off. That's not Jak's fault," Ashelin continued with furrowed brows, "We owe him more than you think we do."

Veger seemed to laugh at Ashelin's statement.

"And what could we owe to such a creature?" he asked doubtfully, "He might as well be on their side with how many people he's attacked."

"He's risked his ass to save ours!" Ashelin growled, grabbing Veger by the collar of his shirt, "You may not be the only one of us that thinks he's a danger to everyone, but this meeting is on standby until anything worse than a minor attack from the Metal Heads happens."

She let him go and turned to the rest of the council.

"Got that? Now get out."

* * *

I grasped at the grass with my fingers. On my hands and knees, I stared at the grassy ground below me. The battle had been torture as I tried to push all the darkness away. Somehow I had come out the victor. _'That's a surprise…' _I thought rather dryly; I was usually the loser.

My blue eyes narrowed as I tried to gain back my lost energy. _'I hate fighting it… but I know that I have to. I don't know how long I can keep it up… but I know that I have to do this.' _I pushed myself to my feet and stood rather unsteadily. It always took so much energy away.

"Maybe I should just leave," I murmured, "let that city rot."

I could leave Haven City and attempt to best the baron Wastelands outside its walls. It might be suicide… but maybe it could be worth trying? Haven City would eventually lose this war with the Metal Heads and not even I could stop it. It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?

"Hey Jak!" Daxter called as he jumped onto my shoulder, "How the heck did you end up here?"

"I couldn't tell you Dax," I laughed slightly with a shrug.

"There you are my boy," Samos's voice called from behind me, "You got of the remaining Eco I presume?"

Didn't Samos know?

"Yeah, I suppose so," I replied rather quietly.

"That place is destroyed on the inside," Daxter started, "Trust me, there's nothing left down there."

"That's good to hear."

"I suppose it is," I murmured, "No more Metal Heads will be coming from down there."

"Very good my boy," Samos said as he patted my shoulder.

Tess was there as well. _'Maybe when Keira said us… she meant her and Tess…' _I wondered at the though. Keira and Tess weren't the kind to hang out together… but it was possible. Girls were still girls.

"Happy anniversary my little hero," she said as she held out her arms to Daxter.

"Happy anniversary, beautiful," he replied as he jumped into her arms.

They were good together… a little crazy but they worked.

"Okay," Keira started, smiling, "We're all here so it's time for the picnic!"

"Agreed," Samos said nodding.

Keira placed the picnic basket on the ground before pulling out a red and white checkered blanket. Sandwiches, salads, and a pie were pulled out and placed on the blanket.

I cocked a brow as everyone sat down with smiled on their faces. It was confusing to see all those smiles… to not see all the darkness for once. I faltered in my steps. _'Do I even belong here?' _I wondered with slightly furrowed brows.

"Jak, aren't you coming?" Daxter asked, looking around Tess's shoulder.

He was sitting in her lap.

"Yeah," I forced myself to smile as my feet moved towards the edge of the blanket.

I sat down and stared at the trees. Everyone talked and laughed. At least they had something to be happy about.

The Dark Eco had tainted everything. Nothing was pure anymore. Not even my childhood was happy anymore. Daxter had been touched by Dark Eco and he was happy… Why was that not possible for me as well?

"What about you Jak?" Daxter asked.

"What?" I questioned with confusion.

I hadn't been paying attention.

"What kinds of times are your favorites?" Tess asked with a smile, patting Daxter's head.

'_What are my favorite times?' _My brows furrowed at the thought. Even I had no idea anymore.

"Tomes like these," I started, looking at everyone's faces, "When nothing is happening… like nothing could possibly go wrong."

'_Times when everything wasn't so dark…' _

It had only been partial truth. I did enjoy times like these – light times – but I knew that I had my favorite times. When I was changed… **that** was my favorite time. It was all weighted though. Friends over the dark creature… I wouldn't want to have to choose. If they left and didn't care, then it would have been a different story.

My blue eyes looked away and at the tree that had my claw marks through the bark. My eyes didn't seem to be the only ones to look there. Samos was on his feet and he placed his hand on the bark.

"Those foul creatures," he murmured, "Why did they have to come back here of all places?"

A solemn expression came across my face at those words. _'Foul creatures huh…' _

"Good thing for you though Jak," Samos praised, "Otherwise it probably would have been more than one tree."

"Yeah," I laughed without humor, "Good thing…"

"Aren't you going to have anything Jak?" Keira asked with a cocked brow.

I shook my head, surprised that she would even talk to me. _'I'm sorry Keira. I'm dory for never being right for you.' _My apology was sincere as I got to my feet.

Everyone's eyes were on me as I stood. Almost as if they were all asking what I was doing.

"Where are you going Jak?" Samos asked me.

"I have to go to the Slums," I stated with an apologetic expression, "I have to ask someone a few questions."

"Wait Jak, I'll come with you," Daxter called.

"No Dax. You stay here and enjoy your anniversary," I told him, turning to walk away.

I left the forest and rode the platform to the Warp Gate. I came out the other side and went back into the city. _'I think it's about time that some of my questions were answered.'_

* * *

I walked through the door with furrowed brows. The candles were glowing with their small flames as I stood with crossed arms.

"So you have come back Dark One," the familiar voice of the Oracle stated rather thoughtfully.

"I think it's time that I got some answers," I stated; leaning against the wall.

"Ask your questions, but there is a possibility that there might not be answers to give."

"How about we try to give as many answers as possible," I stated with a rather threatening tone.

"Proceed Dark One."

Where to start?

"You said that my dark powers would help me control it," I stated with furrowed brows, "Why is it taking control of me?"

Of course I would be upset. I wanted to control… to stop fighting against myself. Wouldn't everyone want that? …To have a choice of **when**?

"You are angry, and you r anger feeds it," the Oracle started, "All the hate that has been hidden away… it's all in that dark creature."

All my hate and anger?

"I didn't have any until I was a prisoner of Baron Praxis," I growled, "Everything was pure until I came back here!"

My fists were clenched tightly as that anger raged.

"That darkness is a part of you now. You cannot hide from it," the Oracle stated, "One day that hate will consume you."

My eyes widened slightly at those words. They had been spoken before by the same statue. A year ago had been when those words were spoken.

"Is that the only question you need answers to?"

My mind wandered through my thoughts. That one question had seemed to be so many more. It couldn't have been the only one.

"Is there a way to make it stop?" I asked; my fists still clenched slightly.

'_Is there a way to take control of it? …To never lose everyone in my life?' _

"That is a question with no answer."

My brows furrowed with confusion.

"There may be a way, but only time will tell," the Oracle stated rather simply, "Now leave Dark One."

I paused for a moment before taking my leave. _'The hate will consume me…' _My blue eyes looked around the water part of the Slums. The old wooden bridges were unsteady sometimes. The houses looked less than safe to him.

"I feel alive… but it's killing me," I murmured, putting my palm in my forehead.

'_I think… I'm losing myself…' _I narrowed my eyes slightly before dropping my head. I began walking towards solid ground.

I had no intention of destroying everything… of purposely killing innocent people. That wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to be that dark creature but I didn't want the dark intentions. Was that a Win/Lose situation? Was there only one way for this to happen? Was that what I was being told?

My brows furrowed slightly at the thought. I didn't know where I was going, but I had a feeling that I knew. _'Maybe Torn will have a new mission for me to do.' _As I walked through the Slums – ignoring all the people around me – my mind began to wonder on the Oracle's comment of hate. This darkness inside of me… was that what caused so many things?

"The fight with Keira…" I murmured, remembering her saying how Erol was a **real** man.

Her words stung now then they had then. Now… now I knew that there was something wrong. All this Dark Eco… it shouldn't have been safe for anyone. I wasn't normal. Maybe I never had been, let alone now.

When I got to the entrance of the Underground, I realized that the hate and anger inside me – the Dark Eco – caused that fight on different levels. Keira was upset because I was some creature… and I got upset because of the anger and jealousy. _'Sometimes I wish that she could appreciate __**all **__of me and not just this form…' _

"Jak," Torn's voice brought me out of my thoughts, "Right on time as always."

"What's going on?" I asked with a cocked brow.

"A few Metal Heads have been sighted near the Naughty Ottsel. There are some men down there already but I don't think they can hold them much longer," he explained, pointing to the area on the map on the table.

"Why? It's just a couple of Metal Heads. They should be able to handle it," I shrugged.

Somehow, I kind of didn't care. It was too small of a challenge and they needed to learn how to take care of themselves. I wasn't going to be around forever.

"There's more to it than that Jak," Ashelin's voice came from behind me.

I turned and saw her eyes on me with slightly furrowed brows.

"There are some KG robots out there. That's why they're having so much difficulty defending the area," Torn explained, "We need you to go take out the bots so the man can kill the Metal Heads."

'…_KG robots? Since where are they fighting along side the Metal Heads?' _I smirked slightly at the thought. Some robots might be a challenge.

"How many?" I asked.

"Three, but be careful," Ashelin warned, "They're spread out over the area, but they might come to help each other."

I nodded my head before turning to leave. _'Maybe I'll get lucky… maybe I'll get hit or knocked around a bit.' _

I jumped onto the Zoomer that wasn't too far away. Starting it up, I stayed in the low hover-zone area as I flew towards the Naughty Ottsel. It was the fastest kind of vehicle, but unfortunately it had a poor defense against anything. I didn't know how many times one had blown up on me. It was worse when the Krimzon had been set out to find me or when they were chasing me. How many times had I been shot at?

I dodged between the people of Haven City before coming out to the shooting zone of men, robots, and attacking Metal Heads. I jumped off the Zoomer and pulled out the Scatter Gun. _'This will probably be good enough.' _I ran up to the back of the four legged, spider-like red robot. I waited until I was underneath to start shooting at it. The laser gun tried to get a lock on me, but I continued to shoot at the under body.

Small time bombs started to be dropped to the ground. _'They'd probably do a better job…' _I grunted as I left the security of the robot to grab the small bomb. I threw it and watched as it made damage on the metal armor. I continued to throw bombs until the red robot started to droop slightly. A beeping sound could be heard as I got away from it. A few moments later… the KG robot was no more than just pieces of dark metal.

"Now," I whispered, holding the Scatter Gun ready, "On to the next one."

I jumped onto the jet board and went onto the bridge that led to the first left pillar on the water. One KG robot was at the first pillar, the second was on the furthest bridge near the Naughty Ottsel. _'I can get this one before the other one comes to help.' _Unfortunately for me, the first robot was facing my direction. The element of surprise was lost. It would have a lock on my before I got to it.

I jumped off the jet board and got the Scatter Gun ready. _'This was supposed to be a challenge.' _I punched a Metal Head before spinning and knocking it over. It was dead as I looked over at the KG robot. The laser gun was locked on me as I lifted the Scatter Gun to aim.

Before I could get a shot out, I was forced to roll away.

"Damn," I cursed, getting up and running around to the back.

I ran underneath and started shooting at the under body. After a few shots, I was knocked to the side by a metal leg and fell into the water.

In the water, I felt the inner battle begin. I had been hit – hard – and was now angry. _'Why… why when I wanted to be?' _I wondered, trying to keep the creature at bay as I swam to the surface. When I had air in my lungs, I reached a ladder and climbed up slowly. The Scatter Gun was on the other side of the platform as the KG robot turned its gun to me again.

There was purple static around me as I clenched my fists. My vision went dark as the creature took control of my body. The strange thing was… that the change felt slightly different. Almost as if I could see everything happening…

**End of Chapter 3**

So, how was it? Kind of short compared to the last chapter huh? Sorry about that. I couldn't get it past ten pages on paper. I hope it was alright nonetheless though. Well… I hope that you all think so anyway. :D Thank you for reading! I appreciate it. Sorry for the late update and spelling errors and what not. I'll probably go back to fix them later on. :3 Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thank you!


	4. Dark Murmurs

I am **so** sorry for not updating for like a year! I got like a huge case of writer's block after the third chapter that I just got rid of today and I wrote like mad to get this chapter done. When I finished it I was so excited! I'm so happy to finally get this story back in action again! Again, I'm **SO** sorry! –sliding bow down—

Thank you so much for those of you who have read and reviewed and are coming back to read this chapter after waiting for so long! I love you guys for it.

Hope you enjoy the long awaited chapter 4. :3

**Dark Murmurs**

I wandered without control. _'What's… happening? Where are we going?' _My feet were leading the way and I was confused. What was happening felt right… but it was confusing all the same. _'Why do I feel so tired?' _

My dark form went through a door and looked down at a sleeping form on the couch. _'This is Keira's house… why would he come here? She doesn't like us like this… it's wrong…' _Teeth clenched with that thought.

We had fought before… argued over what I was. I killed to protect this city… to protect her… She hadn't accepted that I was what I was… that inside I was really just a monster… not fully anyway. _'I should just disappear and make this damn city happy…' _

* * *

The scenery changed and I was in the forest again. The flowers were still falling everywhere. _'That wasn't a dream… I know that that was real.' _My brows pressed together at the thought as I didn't move.

Maybe this was best… maybe I should just stay in the forest and keep out of the city. If the city no longer needed me… then why did I need to save it? Why did I need to protect the people that hated me?

"Well what do we have here?" Veger's voice mused from near by, "The Dark Eco freak."

My fingers clenched at the sound of his voice. _'What is he doing here?' _

"Get lost Veger," I hissed at him, not moving from my position.

Veger was a tall, skinny aristocrat… I was the 'hero' of Haven City. I found no threat in his demeanor.

"The only one who will be getting lost is you, Jak," ht man laughed, sounding like he was pacing in the background.

'_If only that could actually be true…' _

"The council is agreeing with me on removing you from Haven City society. The people of this city no longer need you."

"Like Ashelin is going to let you remove me," I scoffed emotionlessly.

At this point, I didn't care anymore. I had done right, but I had also done many wrongs. Many people were dead because of me.

Veger stood over me, smirking down at me as I lay on the ground.

"Oh, she is trying to get you to stay, but you are simply outnumbered," he mused; too amused.

My fists clenched at his cocky attitude. I didn't want to prove this man right… didn't want to prove that I was dangerous to the people around me.

"Go back to the safety of your own home if I'm such a threat, Veger," I hissed, glaring up at him.

Veger's eyes narrowed icily at my replied.

"Be on your toes Dark Eco freak. Your time will come soon enough."

I jumped to my feet and watched the aristocrat hatefully.

"Is that a threat?" I asked, a growl escaping from me.

"Not at all," Veger stated, "It's a promise."

I felt my jaw tighten with his words. There was nothing that an aristocrat could do to something like me.

"An empty promise," I stated, crossing my arms.

Veger shook his head as he turned to walk away. My eyes narrowed at his actions and the smirk on his face. He was too confident in his prediction.

"_**Go after him… make him tell you what he's planning," **_a voice told me from close by.

I knew what it was… I knew it was the other half of my self.

"No," I whispered, "I won't."

Turning away, I sat back down on the long grass. Veger was gone; there was no need to be on guard anymore.

"_**You want him dead as much as I do," **_it whispered,_** "You want to kill him as much as I do."**_

"I **am **you," I told it, "It's only natural that we want the same things."

"_**We are the same, but you are slowly coming to my side. You want to be me."**_

My brows pushed together at its words; at the truth.

"I know," I whispered.

"_**The time is coming; the time where you choose your darkness over your light."**_

"Yeah…"

It was gone then, leaving me to myself. Choosing the darkness… I would give up so many things for the Dark Eco. Could I give up my friends though? Could I give up Keira and Daxter?

A year ago, I knew that I couldn't have. When Baron Praxis had called me the perfect weapon, I knew that I could count on my friends to believe otherwise. I wasn't even sure now if I could give them up… now they didn't know that something was happening. They didn't know because I had never told them. I had made it that way. If I believed that they no longer cared, then it would be easier for me to turn away.

The problem was that they did see. They were all worried about my well being… **they **were making this decision hard. _'Just forget about me… just let me live the way I want to…'_

* * *

"_Jak, the city's divided," Torn told me, his hands on the HQ table, "Reports say that new Krimzon Death Bots are holding a vital section of the industrial area. My men are getting their asses kicked!"_

_Torn looked at me with concern in his eyes. _

"_The KG have a new leader," he stated, shaking his head, "We're trying to find out who it is."_

_I looked at the table with narrowed eyes as I considered what I had been told. Who would want to run the KG after what had happened in the last year? _

"_I'm afraid I've got more bad news," Samos stated as he walked up to us, "A large group of surviving Metal Heads have concentrated in another section of the city."_

"_But we destroyed Kor!" I protested, raising a hand to my forehead with confusion. _

_The Metal Head leader was dead, so all other Metal Heads should have been destroyed as well._

"_It appears the strongest Metal Heads have survived," the old mage suggested, "The battle for the city has just begun!" _

_Ashelin turned to me with crossed arms. _

"_The people are blaming you Jak."_

_Yeah. Of course they would blame me for their problems. I was the one that had saved their city, and apparently hadn't done a good enough job for them. _

"_I don't see them out there fighting off any big baddies," Daxter muttered, "I'd love to see one of them put their lives on the line for once!" _

I shook my head at the memory as I sat by the Naughty Ottsel. I had worse problems than having to worry about the blame game from the people of Haven City.

Ever since Samos had told me about the Metal Heads coming back, I had been finding their nests and doing my best to destroy them. Each time though, the other half of my self would take over. Each time though, I would wake up more confused and found that I couldn't remember what had happened.

I knew that I was starting to lose myself even more. Each change lasted longer and I would come back lost and confused.

"What are you doing to me?" I asked as I sat against the wall.

The people were flying frantically over the lake in their vehicles, trying to get away from the dangers of Haven City.

"_**Giving you what you want."**_

I don't want to forget everything that happens," I nearly hissed, my hands clutching at the stone.

"_**It has always happened. You just never noticed it until now. It is what you desire."**_

"To forget?" I asked doubtfully.

"_**To become me. The Oracle will provide you no help here. There is no other way."**_

It was true. The Oracle had been no help as of late.

"Jak, the Metal Heads are attacking the city!" Samos's voice shouted through the floating speaker, "This is no time to be sitting down! Get up to the palace quickly!"

Jumping to my feet, I ran to the nearest Zoomer.

I drove through the crowds quickly, watching the guards try to fight off Death Bots and Metal Heads. There were swarms of them coming in every way they could into the city; attacking both people and building.

When I made it to the palace, I jumped into the elevator and rode it to the roof. There was Samos with a walky-talky.

"Come my boy let me show you what's happening."

The old sage led me to the ledge and my eyes widened at the sight. Between the KG Death Bots and the Metal Heads… the city was being torn to shreds.

"Report!" Samos ordered into the walky-talky.

It only took a moment for Torn to reply.

"It's bad!" he replied, "The city's become a battlefield! Mechanized Death Bots have taken over the industrial section, and the surviving Metal Heads have expanded their hold on the West side."

Daxter jumped onto my shoulder before looking out over the wreckage. There were explosions all over the place and buildings crumbling.

"We're losing ground on all fronts!" Torn finished.

I couldn't turn my head away even as Torn and Ashelin flew by.

"The council's meeting tonight in emergency session," Ashelin stated after Torn had finished, "Rumblings about you Jak. It doesn't look good."

My eyes narrowed at those words. What was Veger planning on doing?

"They think your friendship with Krew helped the Metal Heads get into the city."

I tightened my jaw at the accusation. I was the one that killed Krew, the one that destroyed Kor, the one that had been fighting Metal Heads all the time… How could I have **helped** them get into the city?

"You don't believe that, do you?" I asked, hoping that they didn't.

Samos shook his head before pulling the walky-talky to his mouth.

"What's in the past is done. Right now Metal Heads are assaulting the palace," he explained, turning to look at the palace behind him, "They're looking for something and I have no idea-"

Explosions cut the old sage off. The whole palace began to shake as the Metal Heads took their shots at the stone building. The assault came from one side, making the building fall forward.

"Help! We're falling!" Daxter screamed.

Torn and Ashelin flew back to the palace, looking for us.

'_This is a disaster. Why the hell would they attack the palace?' _

"Over here!" I called, helping Samos onto the ledge.

"Jump!" Torn ordered.

Samos got in the back seat and I jumped onto the back of the vehicle. We swerved away as the palace crumbled to the ground. Once the building hit the ground, we flew over to see the damage dealt. Underneath the palace were old ruins, that had remained hidden for years.

"By the Precursors!" the old sage stated with amazement.

"Let's get out of here!" Ashelin ordered, directing Torn away from the scene, "We're going back to HQ and you're going to stay there Jak until further notice."

"Shouldn't we go back and inspect those ruins?" Daxter asked, "You know, before those nasty Metal Heads get their hands on whatever's down there? Er… claws? "

"We don't have a choice," Ashelin disagreed, "The meeting will start soon and everyone but Jak needs to come."

'_Oh, that sounds like a good thing.' _I thought sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Everyone but the people close to be would want me gone.

"_**Why does that bother you? You can have what you want without any guilt if they push you away." **_

My expression became solemn with its words.

Nothing lived outside the city. The desert and Metal Heads and any other monsters would kill anything that walked out there. If I were to leave and be on my own… I could have gone to the forest, where hardly anyone went… Where I couldn't hurt anyone that cared about me. _'It's not the same…' _

We got lower to the ground before arriving at HQ. I was dropped off and Daxter got off my shoulder.

"We shouldn't have to do this," he muttered, glaring to the side.

"Things will be fine Dax," I lied, forcing a smile to my face, "I promise."

"I'd love to shove my fur down Veger's throat-"

"I'm sure you would," I chuckled, "You better get going."

"Remember, you stay here," Ashelin told me, "That's an order."

I nodded before turning to go inside.

'_I'd love to point the Blaster down Veger's throat…' _My hands clenched as I could feel the anger rising within me.

"_**Do it then."**_

"No," I hissed, going into the elevator.

"_**You want to. I want to."**_

"You can't live off of wanting everything," I told it, shaking my head.

"_**There are other things that would be willing to take."**_

"Like what?"

The elevator opened and I stepped out before pausing.

"_**Like her."**_

There stood Keira with her arms crossed. She was staring intently at me, as if expecting me to say something.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the council meeting?" I asked with a raised brow.

"No. I didn't get invited," she told me, looking to the side.

"…Really?"

"I just didn't feel like going. This whole thing is stupid," she muttered, "They can't possibly want to kick you out after saving everyone. It's ridiculous!"

I couldn't help but smile a little at her words. _'I guess that not everyone hates me…' _

"What are you smiling about?" Keira asked, walking at me with a wrench pointed at me, "This is your life we're talking about here. You could die out there!"

No… there was a higher chance than 'could'. I would probably die in the Wasteland outside the city.

"You shouldn't care so much," I told her, "They're right when they call me a Dark Eco freak."

"What are you talking about?" she asked me; confused.

"I'm a monster, Keira. I **am** dangerous to the people around me," I explained quietly, "You and Dax… you're in the most danger."

Keira shook her head as she took a step closer.

"That's a lie and you know it," she stated, "You couldn't hurt your friends Jak. Not on purpose."

'_Yeah… not on purpose… That's what I'm afraid of…'_

"We've been friends since we were kids; you, me, and Daxter. This meeting or anything else will ever change that."

Her hands wrapped around my waist and she pulled me against her.

"Nothing's going to change," she murmured.

At first I didn't know how to react, but then I smiled a real smile. My arms wrapped around her and I pulled her close.

"Okay," I whispered.

"_**You have a soft spot for her, don't you?" **_it asked me, interrupting the moment,_** "You don't want to leave because you don't want to leave her."**_

'_Shut up and go away until things blow over.' _I thought, my brows furrowing at the interruption.

"_**They aren't going to blow over anymore. Things won't run smoothly for us in the future."**_

* * *

Everyone in the council room was nearly shouting; all of the members trying to get their points across at once.

"Shut up!" Ashelin ordered, banging her hands on the table, "All of you sit down!"

All the members fell into their chairs in silence.

"I've known Jak since he was a young boy," Samos started as he walked up to the table, "He is a kind and gentle spirit. He would never dream of hurting people by letting Metal Heads into the city."

"The Dark Eco flowing through him makes him a monster!" a council member shouted, "He had stolen our vehicles and people are hurt when gunfire breaks out on the street!"

"Hey!" Daxter interrupted, "If you all stopped talking all the vehicles then maybe we wouldn't have to steal them!"

"That's enough Daxter," Samos ordered.

The Ottsel scowled with crossed arms.

Onin stepped forward and Pecker jumped onto the table.

"Onin says that Jak is a hero amongst men and is destined for great things. She also says that you can't hold what's on the inside of a person against them," he explained.

"Yeah!" Daxter agreed, "It's not Jak's fault all that Dark Eco's going through his body."

"Whether it was by choice or not," Veger interrupted the Ottsel, "His actions in the past have made him a menace to society. No one knows what he will do in the future."

All the members in the council seemed to agree with Veger's words.

"It looks like that boy's going to have a rough future," Samos sighed, shaking his head with disappointment.

"Aw Jak," Daxter said quietly, turning toward Samos, "Isn't there something we could do? Feed them all to the Metal Heads? Anything?"

"I'm afraid not," the old sage replied.

"Looks like you've been outvoted," Veger stated, smirking proudly.

"Watch it buster!" Daxter growled, glaring at the aristocrat.

"I'll be coming with you to get the Dark Eco freak. The authorities as well," he continued.

"Bite me," Ashelin hissed.

"Come on," Torn suggested, "Let's go."

* * *

I was sitting against eh wall when the elevator opened and guards burst into the room. I stood up immediately when I saw them, standing in front of Keira protectively.

"What's going on?" I demanded, brows furrowing when Veger walked into the room.

"You are under arrest," the aristocrat stated simply.

"Under what charges?" I growled, fists clenching with outrage.

"For your crimes against the people of course," he laughed, smirking, "What else?"

"Crimes against the people?" Keira asked doubtfully, "He's the city's savior! He's **saved** the people!"

"Don't waste your breath girl. It has been decided by the entire council, not just my self."

I held my hands out for the shackles. If the people no longer wanted me to keep them safe, then I would no longer do so. If they wanted to turn their backs on me, then I would turn my back on them.

"Jak, what are you doing?" Keira asked me with disbelief.

"We'll always be friends, no matter what, right?" I asked, "This shouldn't change that now."

I looked back at her and smiled gently.

"I'm not going to forget about you or Dax or the old man. Never."

The shackles were tight on my wrists. The guards grabbed my arms and led me to the elevator; Veger following close behind.

"Didn't I tell you that it was a promise, Dark Eco freak?" he asked me, sounding smug.

"You should work on your people skills," I hissed.

I was taken to a transport vehicle and the guards sat on both sides of me. Ashelin sat across from me with Veger beside her. She couldn't look at me when I sat down and I tried not to take it personally.

* * *

The vehicle landed after a few hours of flight and silence. The guards pulled me out into the scorching desert and Veger followed. Ashelin stayed near the vehicle.

"By order of the Grand Council of Haven City, you are hereby banished to the Wasteland for life," Veger read off a book he carried before turning to walk away.

I struggled against my shackles. I wanted to wring his skinny throat. Ashelin stepped forward with furrowed brows.

"This is a death sentence, Veger. There must be another way," she interjected.

"Your protest was overruled," the aristocrat stated, "This Dark Eco freak is dangerous. Now, drop the cargo!"

"This is an outrage! I am outraged beyond words!" Pecker shouted, flying out of a hiding place in the transport vehicle, "Although I do have something to say."

I was surprised to see the bird all the way out here. _'I think I'm actually glad to see him.' _

"Not everyone agrees with this ridiculous-" he was cut off by a squawk, "Decree…"

I couldn't keep the smile away when Daxter came out as well. _'It's good to see you Dax.' _

"Yeah! We want a recount!" the Ottsel exclaimed, his brows pushing together.

"Oh. I see you wish to join him," Veger suggested, raising a brow curiously.

I watched as Pecked paused for a moment at the suggestion.

"Actually, we are not that outraged."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He was just going to back away?_ 'Are you serious? I'm not glad to see him anymore… I take being glad back.' _

"Farwell Jak. Stay out of the sun. Drink lots of water… if you can find it…" the bird said nervously, backing away.

'_Coward…'_

"…Jak?" Daxter called with worry.

"Go back to the city Dax," I told him, having to look away.

I couldn't make my best friend suffer with me.

Ashelin walked forward and the guards went back to the vehicle.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, unlocking the shackles, "The council is too powerful. There was nothing that I-"

"I know," I replied, feeling my free wrists.

'_It was all Veger…' _

"Just stay alive, you hear? That's an order," she stated, giving me an oval shaped object, "Someone will find you, I promise."

When she went to the transport vehicle and it took off, Veger smirked down at me.

"May the Precursors have mercy on you," he mused and then they were all gone.

I watched for a moment before turning my attention to the object in my hand. I had never seen anything like it before. My attention was diverted though when I heard coughing. _'It can't be…' _

"Daxter!"

The dust cleared and there stood Daxter and Pecker, coughing at the dust.

"Don't thank me," the Ottsel laughed, "I'm only here because you wouldn't last a second without me."

I smiled at that familiar tone before looking around the endless piles of sand.

"Okay tough guy, you got us into this mess. Now ya gotta get us out."

"Ahh, what a team we make," Pecker said happily, swinging his wing.

"Let's just get moving," I stated, looking around, "But where?"

I watched as both Pecker and Daxter pointed in opposite directions.

"That way!"

I sighed at the coming argument. _'Why can't they just get along?' _

"Oh, and I suppose you know where you're going eh?" Pecker asked doubtfully.

"Better than you do, bent beak," Daxter retorted, pointing at the bird.

"Aghh!" I groaned, "Let's just move."

Hours seemed to pass as we walked straight through the desert. There was nothing but sand and rocks. Sand, rocks, and heat.

"_**Now what will you do? We'll die out here unless you come to my side." **_

'_We're going to make it without your help.'_

"_**If you think so. Your friends look pretty worn down already."**_

'_We'll be fine.' _I convinced myself as we trudged through the sand.

"This was all your stupid idea…" Pecker muttered to Daxter.

"No, it was yours!" Daxter countered, "Only a birdbrain could that thought this one up."

'_Where do they find the energy to argue?' _

"'Let's go with him'… 'We'll go together'…" Daxter imitated Pecker, "You mean we'll die together!"

I continued to walk, merely listening.

"I can't believe the city hates us," the Ottsel groaned, "We saved those lowlifes!"

'_I know how you feel Dax… I know how you feel…' _I thought before collapsing into the sand.

"Right. Good plan Jak…" Daxter panted, coughing, "A nap would be nice… just a teensy little rest."

I barely heard Daxter hit the sand beside me.

Pecker squawked, "This bird is overcooked."

I coughed before I started to lose consciousness.

"_**I told you so…"**_

* * *

"Looks like we've found some live ones… Heh, barley," a man laughed as he came across three unconscious forms.

He hit the human with the boom of his staff, causing the unconscious boy to let go of something. The man bent down and picked it up.

"Here's the beacon we were picking up," he murmured before grabbing the boy's tunic, "Who gave you this?"

When there was no response, the man let the shirt go and let the boy hit the sand.

"We'll take them with us," he ordered, "Let's move! I smell a storm coming."

* * *

**End of Chapter 4**

So, how was it? I hope that it was aright. ---reaches for the vegetable dodging garbage can lid--- The whole end part of it was from the beginning of the third game. So the next chapter will be the last chapter and it will run through the beginning of the third game but it will be all of Jak's thoughts about what's happening. I hope that you all come back to read the next chapter even knowing that.

Thank you so much for reading! Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I get the chance to! I promise!


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Everything was heavy; like a weight was pressing down on me. I felt as though I were moving before there was a sudden coldness on my feet. Opening my eyes I sat up quickly, giving myself a head rush.

'_What happened?' _I wondered, wincing, _'…Wasn't I dead?' _

I turned my head to the side and caught sight of an unconscious Daxter lying on the ground next to me. Pecker was nowhere to be found.

"What happened?" I murmured to myself with confusion.

Running my hand through my hair, my eyes widened with some surprise. My hair had been cut short and looking down, my clothes had been changed. I ignored it though before reaching over and throwing Daxter into the water that was at my feet. He cried out loudly before realizing what he was sitting in and leaned back against the stone floor. I gave a small smile before looking around the room we were in. It looked almost like someone's personal oasis. I tried to let everything sink in as my gaze fell to the water around my feet.

I couldn't help but glare at the reflection that stared back at me. My gaze was dark and almost brooding. Closing my eyes I could see the full black eyes staring back at me. I could feel it then, the pulse of the dark eco flowing through my veins. My brows pushed together and fists clenched as I tried to force it away. Not here…

"_**Why are you fighting?" **_its voice almost whispered into my ear.

I didn't respond; merely pushed the feeling away and relaxed myself. I was tired and worn from heatstroke of the desert sun. I was in no mood to start rampaging through this place.

"I love water," Daxter mused as he swayed his hands through the water, "Oh yes, it's so good… desert bad."

Leaning backward, I raised my head to look at him with a small laugh.

"Well, you've come back from the dead have you?" a gruff voice cut in; catching both Daxter and I by surprise, "And my monks were ready to pray for you."

I took in the man's appearance as he stood at the top of a small set of stairs. He had an older demeanor but seemed as though he knew he was respected.

"I am Damas, king of Spargus," he continued, gesturing to the city behind him.

"Spargus…" I murmured, glancing to the side before looking back at Damas with realization, "Wait, nobody lives outside of Haven's walls. Not a whole city."

I watched intently as the man walked closer and down the small set of steps before him.

"Ah yes. We are the forgotten ones. Haven city's refuse thrown out and left to die, just as you were," he explained, pointing in our direction as he reached our level, "But now that you have been saved, your life belongs to the people of Spargus and we will use it well; if it is actually worth anything."

I raised my brows with some concern. Our lives belonged to the people of this Wasteland city?

"Hey! That sounds like a bad deal!" Daxter objected, turning to face the king of Spargus.

"You are in no position to deal," Damas stated; his tone stern, "Out here everything is either useful or dead weight. Prove yourselves worthy or the desert will be your grave."

I rose to my feet with those words. After everything that had happened within the last twenty-four hours I wasn't about to take this kind of treatment lying down.

"You need to work on making a better first impression," I hissed, staring at him intently.

Damas laughed, "In the unforgiving Wasteland we value strength and survival above all. We will see where you stand soon enough. Complete your training and then enter the arena. Just the bravest crawl out and are allowed to stay in Spargus. It's quite simple really."

I watched him warily as he turned to walk away; my brows narrowed. I saw Daxter's arm reach forward from the corner of my eye.

"Um, what happens to the ones that don't crawl out?" the ottsel questioned; worry lacing his tone.

"Then it will be as if we never found you."

"I was afraid of that…"

"Now go," Damas ordered as he took a seat on his thrown, shooing us away with his hand.

I openly scowled before turning and crossing the indoor oasis to the elevator. I crossed my arms as the door closed behind us and it began to move to the lower level.

"What's the deal with that guy?" Daxter shouted angrily, "He bothers to save us and then throws us in an arena to fight for our lives?! Where's the point in that?"

"Some sick amusement?" I wondered, shaking my head.

I could understand what Damas had meant though. If each person within this city was strong enough to keep themselves alive then there would never really be a real reason to panic. Each person would be able to stand and fight for themselves. If they were all weak and defenseless then no one would survive.

'_They would just turn out to be like the people in Haven city.'_

The elevator doors opened, revealing the city that stood behind it. Both Daxter and I stepped out with some surprise. All this time… there was a place like this outside of Haven's walls? People were walking past; each with their own gun strapped to their backs or their waists. Some even had large daggers hanging loosely from their belts.

"These people must have to face marauders and Metal Heads every day," I said lowly; kind of impressed, "That's probably why Damas wants usefulness out of his citizens."

"Marauders and Metal Heads?!" the ottsel cried out, "Jak, why do we always end up in all the dangerous areas?"

I shook my head before continuing to walk. I knew that Daxter was just whining as he always was. No matter the situation we got into, I knew that whatever happened Daxter would still be standing beside me. The thought was almost relaxing. Maybe I didn't have to lose everything after all…

* * *

We stood triumphantly in the mass coliseum that Damas had called his arena. Lava surrounded us everywhere under the floors that kept us alive. We had completed our 'training'.

"The candidates have won… the challenge…" Pecker stated, starting out as excited and his tone dropping after he looked back at Damas.

The people cheered loudly around us, their octaves rising with excitement. Daxter was hopping on my shoulder, full of excitement as well.

"That's right, we bad!" he shouted before resting against my head, "You haven't forgotten what I taught ya Jak."

I smiled lightly before turning my head away from him. Of course I would remember what he had taught me. Everything he had said had been the first civil words I had heard from anyone since being imprisoned by the Baron. I had held onto every word.

Damas pushed himself forward in his chair as he stared down at us, "Anyone can make a few measly jumps. Now let's see how you rate against the living."

A Scattergun was thrown to me and I smirked as it landed in my hands. This was going to be fun, I could already feel it.

"_**Doing things like this is what you're meant for," **_it murmured lowly, _**"We wish to achieve the same thing."**_

"Readjust the Matter-Formers! Prepare the arena for full combat!"

"Prepare the arena for full combat!" Pecker repeated.

"I just said that," Damas stated with annoyance.

"I know," Pecker whined, "I was just adding… you know… how you do the thing with the… anyway. Prepare the warriors!"

"Y-you mean we have to fight against actual people? With actual weapons? That actually… want to hurt us?!" Daxter asked; panicking.

"Fine," I mused darkly, cocking the Scattergun, "Bring 'em on."

"All right, that's it!" the ottsel shouted angrily, jumping off my shoulder, "I want to be on his shoulder!"

I rolled my eyes at Daxter as the lift started to lower us back down to the arena above the lava.

"Come on Dax, you know I would never let anything happen to you," I assured him, reaching back and patting his head.

I knew that with a sane mind I would never be able to seriously hurt the ottsel, let alone let someone else hurt him. I would put my life down on the line before his if that would be what kept him safe. In a way, that was already the case.

"Yeah, I know," he murmured, shaking his head.

I gave him a small smile before jumping off of the platform and onto the arena floor. His fingers tightened at my shirt as men wearing armor jumped down to the arena as well. I took aim as two men started toward me and fired as they came close enough. They grunted loudly as they fell backward and became motionless. More came then as an alarm sounded around us.

"What's that?!" Daxter panicked into my ear.

Lava shot up through the floor, hitting some of the men that had jumped down. I ran and jumped onto the nearest ledge before the arena floor disappeared below us. The men screamed in pain as they didn't make it to the ledge in time.

"Man, this place is awful…" Daxter said, sounding horrified.

"Yeah really," I breathed, shaking my head.

I could feel it coming; the pulsing going through my veins. It wanted loose and it wanted it desperately. My jaw tightened and my brows furrowed as the arena floor reappeared below us and I could once again step onto it.

"_**How about you let me handle this?" **_it asked and I could hear the smirk that was on its face, _**"You're a little too tired."**_

It was right; I was tired. Between heatstroke and training my body was still worn down. I hadn't had enough time to regain all of my bearings in this place. I had instantly been sent in to fight and defend myself. What was all of this for? What was I even fighting for? I already knew the question to that answer. The only thing that stopped me from standing in the middle of this arena and dropping my weapon was Daxter. If nothing else, I had to fight for him. He needed to be safe.

Jumping down from my ledge, I put the gun away and let myself go. The pulsing of dark eco became stronger and I felt the change flow through me. The adrenaline it gave me was indescribable. I knew I had missed this form; this strength. I felt so alive... but I knew that it was killing me. I knew that I would soon be devoured.

"Jak, you okay buddy?" Daxter wondered, patting my shoulder.

"Yeah," I growled, smirking darkly as my claws became prominent.

I charged then; attacking everyone that was close to me. As each of the men fell to the ground and the static of the dark eco came through my skin I couldn't help but look around for more. I wanted more of a challenge. I needed it.

More men came and even as they fell it still didn't feel satisfying enough. Then there was a shot of gunfire, barely missing my feet. I took a step back, growling at the person that had shot at me. They shot again before another man did the same. I was backed to the edge of the arena; the lava's heat burning at my back. I clenched my hands before feeling the pleasure. There it was. There was the challenge.

"Jak?" the ottsel's voice worried.

There were men surrounding us, all with their guns pointed in our direction. I lunged forward before leaping into the air. I felt even more dark eco flow through me and there was a charge of static through my fingertips. As I neared the ground, I slammed my fist to the metal beneath me and there was an explosion of dark eco energy. It threw all the men around me backward and into the lava surrounding the arena.

No more men appeared before us and the platform was ready to move. Looking down at my hands, I clenched my claws before reluctantly going to it.

"Everything alright Jak?" the ottsel asked lowly, "You're still all dark…"

I didn't respond and my jaw merely tightened as the platform reached its full height. I jumped to the stand before the king of this city and stared up at him. This was what I was. There was no sense in hiding it. As I took a step forward, I felt the dark eco drain from me and my claws receded. The black disappeared from my gaze as they caught sight of an armor wearing boy. His eyes were cold and it felt as if they were staring into me. I winced, turning away before looking up at Damas. He was staring down at me intently.

"Something you're not telling us, animal man?" he hissed, rising to his feet.

"He has been touched with dark eco, my liege," Pecker explained solemnly.

"Our boy here gets all mean and nasty when you piss him off," Daxter added, taking a coupe steps forward, "So don't piss him off; word to the wise."

I turned my gaze to the side. It wasn't just when I was angry anymore… it was constantly. There was a constant struggle within myself that I was tired of fighting.

Damas looked to the side thoughtfully as an impressed expression came to his face.

"Ah, then he is dangerous and that could be useful," he said, turning his gaze back to me, "Your bravery has earned you your first battle amulet. If you are victorious in two more arena fights, you will earn your citizenship to Spargus."

Walking forward to the small table that was at the front of the platform, I looked the things on it over.

"Here is a gate pass to allow free passage in and out of the city," the king continued, throwing the pass to me, "but beware, there is no true refuge outside our walls. The desert is less kind than I."

He walked backward and took his seat in his chair.

"And for your victory, a gun mod is your prize."

I took the gun mod and looked it over. It was the Blaster mod.

'_One of my favorites,' _I thought, smirking.

"Aw yeah, now we're talking!" Daxter shouted, running up to the small table, "Hey, what do I get? Nothing… as usual…"

Turning to walk away I cast my eyes to the side to see if the boy was still standing there. Within those few moments he managed to disappear and my brows furrowed. Who the hell was he? Why had he been scowling so intently at me?

Shaking the feeling off, I went for the exit of the arena. I no longer desired to be within the range of the lava pit. It had already been too close for comfort for me.

"Those were some sweet moves in the arena, boy," a voice stated as we walked through the hallway, catching my attention, "But a little more choke, and you would have popped, eh?"

"You talking to me?" I hissed, my brows furrowing.

"Yeah!" Daxter nearly growled, "You talking to… him?"

"No, I'm conversing with my sweet departed mum," the man stated sarcastically, "Of course you, ya bore head."

I stepped up to him as Daxter jumped to the ground. What was this guy's problem?

"You guys are from the Big Smoke, eh?"

"Who's asking?" I asked with crossed arms.

I had only spoken to the man for a few moments and he already seemed to have a poor impression of me.

'_I can't say that he's making a good first impression either,' _I thought sourly, glaring up at the large man that stood before me.

"The guy that runs this place, that's who," he hissed, taking a step forward and leaning over me, "Kleiver's the name. You blokes stick with me, and I'll take care of ya."

Within the few moments of speaking with Kleiver I knew that we were going to clash. He wanted to be the man in charge.

"In fact, I've got a job for ya right now," he said as he walked over to a large lizard and grabbed the reigns, "Ride me Leaping Lizard here and catch a few of those little buggers that have been raiding me storerooms. Snag me six of those puppies and I'll let you drive one of me racing vehicles."

I looked down at Daxter with a raised brow. Was this guy serious?

"That is, if Damas ever lets you leave the city."

"I think we can handle that," I agreed.

"No!" Daxter shouted, "I hate riding animals… they make me chafe!"

"Stop complaining," I told him, "Let's just get it over with."

Grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, I walked by Kleiver and grabbed the reigns of his lizard.

"Good luck, eh?" the man laughed behind us.

I rolled my eyes at his words before stepping over the back of the lizard and resting into the saddle. It took off almost instantly, running quickly down the street and through the people around us. After a few moments of giving chase it had already caught one of the rodents Kleiver had been talking about.

"Well this won't take long," I laughed, pulling the reigns to the side for the lizard to turn.

The lizard continued after another rodent, jumping high and flapping its little wings to hop over some crates of food. It was easy to see why there were so many of the lizards standing around in the city. They made good modes of transportation instead of having to walk all over the place. Riding a lizard was quick and it was easy. This mission would be over quicker than I thought it would.

* * *

The day had been long and tiring. When the sun had finally decided to go down I was grateful. It meant that I would be able to sit and rest if only for a short while. I sat on a stone rooftop, leaning back and supporting myself with my hands.

'_This place isn't bad,' _I thought as I stared out over the ocean, _'It's more than enough of an improvement from Haven city.' _

I shook the thought of Haven city away. What use was there to think about the people that had cast me out after everything that I had done for them? They didn't care what became of me. I was merely returning the favor.

Daxter's snore brought me out of thought for a moment and I laughed. For someone so small one would think that he wouldn't be loud. That was clearly not the case. The ottsel was the loudest person that I knew. Lightly rubbing his orange belly, I smiled before turning my gaze back to the water. This was one of those very few moments where everything felt peaceful. I knew that the moment wouldn't last long though. These moments rarely ever did.

As I sat, I caught something from the corner of my eye. There was a grouping of people and a black machine that was lying motionless on the ground. My curiosity peaked; I shook Daxter awake before climbing down the ladder to the ground below. Walking over, I got a closer look at the people. The one standing the closest to the machine had been the boy that I had seen earlier at the arena.

"Check out these funny dudes, huh," Daxter laughed as we got closer, "Nice threads. I didn't know rubber was back in."

He was amused with his own jokes, leaning in closer toward the boy.

"What are you working on, monk boy?" he wondered.

The boy raised his hand toward the machine, "It is none of your concern, animal."

"Look, coloring book, we've had a hard week," the ottsel hissed as he jumped to the ground, "Don't push it!"

"The arena shows all, dark one," the monk stated as he turned toward me, "Hate consumes your eyes."

These people, they really had no idea. None of them did. If they knew what was really happening, I wondered if they would run for their lives.

"Great," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes, "Thanks for the tip."

"It will destroy you… just as the Precursors destroyed themselves," the monk continued, gesturing to the machine behind him.

"Doesn't look like any Precursor crap we've seen," Daxter muttered.

"These artifacts are an abomination," the monk said as he started to explain, "One fell on the great volcano. We sent an expedition to the mountain, but my monks never returned."

I watched the machine intently before turning my gaze back to the monk. He sounded confident in the words he was speaking.

"Ill tidings sing in the wind. I fear the remaking of the world is at hand."

"I think you've been out in the sun a little too long," the ottsel mused before turning to walk away, "Let's go Jak."

Shaking my head I turned to follow after Daxter. In a way what the monk was saying sounded like a load of nonsense. In this moment he was that crazy person people tried to ignore on the street as they walked by.

"You must leave this place!" the monk said after us, "Heroes think they can save the world, when they themselves are lost. You could not possibly understand the dark forces at work here."

Something in me snapped then. After the past few years of being within Haven and all the dark eco that now coursed through my body, no one had the right to tell me I didn't understand it. I turned on him with a scowl clear on my face.

"Don't talk to me about dark powers," I nearly hissed before gesturing toward the machine, "I want to know what this is."

Static from the dark eco surged in my hand at being close to the machine and it released a purple screen. I winced for a moment, feeling the surge spread through the rest of my body. Trying to force the feeling away, I took a step toward the machine.

"Stand back," I ordered before touching the screen.

There were unreadable words fluttering across the screen and there were a few buttons. Being near this machine… it was pulling at me. It was almost as if it was trying to summon the dark eco within me to the surface.

'_Why is this happening?' _I asked myself, my brows narrowing, _'What is this thing?' _

Wincing, I pressed a few buttons on the screen and waited impatiently. When nothing happened, I banged my fist off it in frustration. I didn't have the will to fight against myself now; not here. I was filled with relief when the machine released a small mechanical hand with some form of crystal on it.

"Don't touch it!" the monk warned, "Dark eco…"

I almost rolled my eyes at the warning. There was nothing more that dark eco could possibly do to me. Taking the crystal easily, I looked at it closely. It was a solid form of dark eco crystal… I had never seen anything like it before. I could feel the pulse of energy it was emitting. For something so small it still had a great amount of strength within it.

The more I stared at the crystal, the more absorbed into it I felt. I could feel myself fading into the dark – my eyes almost fully black – before I heard Daxter's voice behind me.

"Yeah, you're impressed now aren't ya?" he said as he started clapping, "Come on. Give him his props."

I snapped out of my daze and turned my head to see the monk standing next to me.

"Those are solid eco crystals. It has been passed down through time that they power the greatest of Precursor technologies," he explained as he gestured toward the machine, "Strange… It speaks an ancient dialect; the earliest Precursor forms. Something about re-claiming this unfinished world…"

"Those look like coordinates. Like the ones from-"

The monk raised his hand to cut me off, "It is picking up a very powerful signal."

"I don't think we're going to like what this thing is yapping to!" Daxter nearly stuttered, backing away from the machine.

It came alive then; the machine started to thrash about violently before managing to make it off the ground. It hovered into the air before exploding above our heads in a blinding purple light; casting rubble over the area.

"Even you cannot save us from this, hero!" the monk stated, waving us off.

"Hey, I'm the real hero here," Daxter interjected, "You can call me… Orange Lightning. Zazaziing!"

"You may carry the color of our creators, animal, but we have plans to save ourselves. Stay out of our business," the monk hissed, turning his back to us, "You and Orange Lightning are not welcome here!"

"Whatever," Daxter scoffed, turning to keep walking away, "Let's go Jak."

I followed after him, leaving the monk behind. There was no use in wasting time here and being told the entire time to disappear. Where would be the point?

I felt Daxter climb up to my shoulder and I let out a small sigh. There had been so little time to rest…

"What's the matter Jak?" the ottsel wondered, patting my shoulder, "Something on your mind?"

Should I just tell him? If he were to be in danger because of me, wouldn't it be better to let him know that it might happen? I didn't want him to worry, but at the same time I didn't want to have to endlessly worry what I might end up doing to him while I was transformed…

"It's that dark eco Dax," I murmured, stopping and looking down at my hands, "I no longer have a grasp on it. It's almost as if it's taking over me and it does so every time it has the chance."

"I thought you only became mean and nasty when you were pissed off," he said with some worry.

"It used to be. Now… now there's just do much of it flowing through my veins that I can't stop it anymore," I continued, my brows furrowing, "It's consuming me Dax… and I almost don't want it to stop-"

"Wait!" he cut in, "You mean that you could be transformed like that forever?"

"I don't know," I admitted, having to turn my head away from him, "I don't know what will happen to me if this goes on much longer."

"Don't say that!" he shouted, shaking the fabric on my shoulders, "You're my buddy and I'll stand by you no matter what happens; even if you become a big scary monster."

I laughed without humor with his words. I was happy that he felt that way, but at the same time being called a 'big scary monster' wasn't very comforting. It was the truth though and I knew it to be true. I _was_ a monster.

"Thanks Dax."

I continued walking and we made our way over to the exit of Spargus. Standing before the large gate, it slowly opened and I could see Kleiver standing there.

'_Just who I wanted to see,' _I thought dully.

As we came closer to him, he caught notice of us and turned in our direction.

"Well if it isn't the newbies," he greeted mockingly.

"Keep yapping Jelly Boy," Daxter hissed, making a fat gesture, "We'll see who-"

"Bite ya bum, rat face," Kleiver growled as he reached over and grabbed Daxter, "Or I'll pound ya."

As he put Daxter back onto my shoulder I saw him make a face before grunting with disgust.

"Great stink of the Precursors. I got two words for ya, tooth brush," the ottsel said, pointing back at the larger man before us.

Ignoring their argument, I turned my gaze to all the vehicles that were surrounding us. Some of them looked fierce while a couple others looked tiny in comparison.

"Nice rides," I stated, gesturing to the large cars beside me.

"You like what you see? We use these babies to make runs into the deep desert to retrieve artifacts," Kleiver explained, "Tough wheels for tough work."

"You said we could use one," I said; a grin forming on my face.

If there was one thing that I enjoyed doing it was racing cars. It was something that had worn off of me through Keira.

"I did, didn't I?" Kleiver murmured thoughtfully, "But not one of those. Those are for the big boys."

I almost groaned with his words. I knew where this was going.

"You can use that one," he said, gesturing to the smallest car in the lot.

"Ha! What a runt!" Daxter laughed almost sarcastically.

"Seems to fit you," Kleiver mocked back.

It didn't matter to me either way. So long as I got to drive something fast it was all the same to me.

"Get in Dax, I'll drive."

We walked over to the car and I inspected it. It looked sturdy enough even for its size.

"Care to wager a little something on a race, then?" Kleiver questioned, "If you win, I'll let you keep that little vehicle for as long as you live. And if I win?"

"I don't have anything," I told him honestly.

"I'd say that yappy rodent of yours is a bit bony," he stated, pointing at Daxter as he stood on the top of the car, "but skinned and buttered he'd make a nice treat; my vehicle against him."

"Forget it buddy! Jak would never-"

"Done," I agreed cutting Daxter off.

The ottsel stared angrily down at me and I shook my head at him.

"What? Don't worry," I assured him, "If there's one thing I can do, it's race."

I pulled my scarf over my mouth and my goggles down as we both hopped into the car and we pulled out into the open desert. Off to the side we could see the track and Daxter gave me the glowering silent treatment. I knew he was mad, but he should have known by now that I would never let anyone get their hands on him. I would never risk his safety without putting my life on the line first.

Kleiver drove past us toward the track and we followed after him. He would know the way to the starting line more than I would. As we pulled in toward the starting line there were already three cars waiting to go.

"Let's do it!" Kleiver called over the humming of the engines.

I hit the gas hard then, taking off and getting around the person in front of me. Kleiver's car took off ahead and into first. We were nearly behind him as we neared the bridge. A car that had been behind us pulled up beside us and tried to push us over to the edge. I retaliated by steering the car into his to keep us away from the rocks that were coming after the bridge. We barely managed to avoid the rocks before I pulled away from the car and went around the side. I wasn't about to lose this race to someone like Kleiver.

We drove through the tunnel; hitting the gas harder than before and speeding up behind Kleiver. We were gaining ground as we neared the field of water holes. I steered us to the side so we could gain some more distance before both cars hit into the water. The car hydroplaned through it, almost turning us to the side but I continued on; not willing to lose. Glancing over I could see that Kleiver's car was almost facing ours as he slipped through the water. I smirked at him before we pulled ahead.

"So long sucker!" Daxter shouted back at him as we drove up the hill and past the water.

Turning the corner I could see the starting line ahead of us. Within a few moments I skid the car across it and looked over at Daxter who was jumping for joy.

A few moments later Kleiver pulled in behind us and looked less than impressed. He was scowling before it turned into some form of amusement.

'_What's he smiling about?'_ I wondered; brows pushing together.

"Bah, enjoy it for now skimmer," he told us, shaking his head, "I said you could keep the vehicle for as long as you _live_. Well, we'll see how long that is mates."

He laughed before backing his car up and heading back toward the city.

'_What's that supposed to mean?' _

_**End of Chapter**_


End file.
